The present invention relates to dispenser boxes for fragile items, including, more specifically, dispenser boxes for cigarette tubes.
Cigarette tubes consisting of tubes made of cigarette paper and generally with a filter, resembling an empty cigarette, are well known. Consumers fill these tubes with tobacco selected according to their own taste.
To this end, cartons 10 which are known from the state of the art dispense tubes, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which empty tubes 100 are placed flat in successive rows of tubes. The cartons 10 may contain 100, 200, 300 tubes or more. The carton are opened at the same time by operating the cover 40 which gives access to the first row of tubes 100.
Dispenser cartons 10 consist of a bottom, four lateral panels 30, and a cover 40 that is folded onto one of the lateral panels 30.
Generally, cover 40 is equipped, on the edge opposite its fold, with a tab or closing flap 42 that fits into a cutout or slot 39 made in front panel 30. Since this type of closing flap 42 and complementary slot 39 may be the subject of numerous manners of construction, they have been only schematically illustrated in the figures.
To open cartons 10 of known type as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the user exerts pressure on the front side 30 of the box and on cover 40 to release closing flap 42 from slot 39.
However, the use of known cartons 10 is not free of problems. In particular, it is frequently observed that the pressure which must be exerted to open the box could cause damage to the tubes 100, which are very fragile in their empty tobacco-free state, making them unusable later when they are to be filled with tobacco. This pressure could also push some of the tubes 100 out of the box 10, making it difficult to replace them properly and re-close the box. This problem occurs most often the first time the box is opened, but may also occur during subsequent openings of the box.
The purpose of the present invention is to improve dispenser boxes used for fragile items, including particularly empty tubes for cigarettes.
Another purpose of embodiments of the invention is to allow the dispenser boxes to be easily opened as well as easily closed. Yet another purpose is to provide methods that limit the risk of damage to items stored in the dispenser boxes.